Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Pretty much more of the same as the first issue. Most of the issue centers around a fight between the dysfunctional team and a batch of Lovecraftian nasties. Even though Giffen & DeMatteis through some character bits in, I still don't have a good feel for the team members, although the woman with the third eye is starting to develop a personality. I couldn't name any of them out of a line-up. The art round-robin continues as well, and even though this time there's a greater degree of consistency, I still think that a regular artist would be a better idea.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Jeremiah Harm #2by Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, Rael Lyra & Joe Prado

Harm arrives on Earth, hot on the trail of the three escaped mass murderers, and after a stop-off in an inner-city clinic to introduce some secondary characters, much mayhem ensues. If you enjoyed the Lobo-esque violence and mayhem of the first issue, you'll like this too.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Zombie Tales: The Dead #1by lots of people

A collection of six unrelated short stories about zombies. They're all pretty well done, good examples of how you can tell a decent story--world-building and all--in a short page count. My favorite of the bunch is Johanna Stokes and Cynthia Martin's "Zoombies," which features a monkey leading a group of zoo denizens against a zombie hoard--I would tially read a regular series based on this. This collection is strictly for zombie fans, but if you like zombie comics you'll like this.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

I am hereby proclaiming this, the final week of March, 2006, the Best Week Ever for new comics!

Normally I point out a Pick of the Week, that one item you really should get. Sometimes the pickings are slim, but I usually manage to come up with one.

This week however, there are just too many damn good comics to choose from.

At the very top of the list is the collection of Root Nibot & Colleen Coover's Banana Sunday, last year's best miniseries. All of you who claimed you were waiting for the trade, now's your chance. If you don't like Banana Sunday, you just don't like comics.

Also in collection is the Alias Omnibus, collecting every issue of Bendis's Marvel/MAX series in one big honking hardcover. Yes, $70 is a bit steep, but to but all 28 issues individually would have cost you $84, so it's a bargain (and if you shop around you can get it for less...). And if that's not enough Bendis for you, Marvel also have the final trade collection of his Daredevil run.

But that's not all! There's also the bargain-priced edition of the Superman Archives, vol. 1. And also Lost in Space: Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul, which finally completes Bill Mumy and Michal Dutkiewicz's story, collecting the first previously published issues with the final six issues that never saw the light of day when Innovation folded.

Manga? Yes, we have that too, with the final volume of Osamu Tezuka's Buddha hitting the stores.

You say you want comics? Those regular old floppies? There's great stuff there as well, starting with the fourth issue of Kevin Huizenga's Or Else, bringing what is sure to be more inspired cartooning from the master craftsman.

Also in comics there's the third issue of Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely's All Star Superman. And a new Star Wars: Tag & Bink comic. And the long-awaited return of Queen & Country to comics (did you read the novels--they're quite good!) And a new issue of Middleman...

And to top it all off, Becky Cloonan steps out on her own with the debut of her TokyoPop OEL title East Coast Rising.

So how's that for a huge bunch of Picks of the Week?

There are other comics of interest too, such as:

Antarctic have a new issue of Gold Digger (#73--#72 just came out last week...)

Dark Horse have a new issue of Usagi Yojimbo (#92).

DC continue the OYL fiesta with Action Comics (#837), Blue Beetle (#1), and Green Lantern (#10); and also have new issues of Lucifer (#72) & JLA Classified (#19); plus a collection of the Lady Constantine mini and a new Will Eisner's The Spirit Archives (vol. 18).

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Had I known that Brian was going to write all that, I probably wouldn't have bothered with my own little rant in the first place, as he does a much better job.

As a side point, if you're ever wondering why sometimes Marvel or DC will produce a one-shot or a mini-series with a b- or c-list character, it is often done in order to preserve the trademark. Unlike patents, which last for 20 years from the time of issue, or copyrights, which last Life + X number of years from creation (until/unless Congress extends them again and again and again...), trademarks have no set time limit before they expire. A trademark can theoretically last forever, as long as the owner continues to use it. But if the owner goes a certain period of time without using the trademark, it becomes abandoned and anyone can use it. So if every few years Marvel puts out a comic with the Colossus logo slapped on the cover, they continue to protect their trademark.

Team-up comics used to be great for this. Put out a comic with Batman, Superman or Spider-Man teaming-up with your lesser known characters, slap their logos on the cover, and you're all set.

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:

The Pick of the Week is the paperback edition of Alan Moore & Gene Ha's Top 10: The Forty-Niners from ABC/WildStorm/DC. The hardcover was my pick for Favorite Original Graphic Novel last year, so those of you who balked at the hardcover can now save your $7 and get the softcover.

In other comics:

Antarctic have a new issue of Gold Digger (#72).

DC have the second Seven Soldiers of Victory collection; OYL titles Batman (#651), Catwoman (#53), Hawkgirl (#50), Manhunter (#20), and Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes (#16); and new issues of American Way (#2), Hellblazer (#218), and Testament (#4).

Fantagraphics have the third volume of Mome.

IDW have the second issue of Supermarket.

Image have a new issue of Noble Causes (#18).

Lobrau have the debut of Toupydoops.

Ludovico have the third issue of Living in Infamy.

Marvel have the latest Runaways digest (vol. 5); the final issue of Supreme Power: Hyperion (#5), just in time for the debut of the non-MAX Squadron Supreme; and new issues of Captain America (#16), Daredevil (#83), Nextwave (#3), She-Hulk 2 (#6), Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (#4), and X-Factor (#5).

Monday, March 20, 2006

Every so often some fanboy gets in a tizzy because he learns that DC & Marvel have a trademark on the term 'super-hero'.

The latest is this stupid item over on SciFi.com, which refers to a two-year-old posting on Newsarama as if it were brand new news and manages to get just about every point wrong, including which aspect of intellectual property law is at issue ("DC/Marvel Copyrighting 'Super Hero'"). (screenshot here in case SciFi comes to its senses and fixes it.)

(Update: Scifi.com did indeed remove the news story after I sent them an email pointing out their errors. Kudos to them for rectifying the situation, although an actual correction notice would be better.)

Here, folks, are some salient points:

DC/Marvel are not "trying to copyright the term 'super hero.'"

One cannot copyright a phrase.

DC & Marvel hold a joint *trademark* to the term super-hero for use in publications, and have held it for many years. The registration number for the applicable trademark is 1179067 (see this).

Holding a trademark on 'super-hero' means that they are the only companies who can use 'super-hero' in the title of their comic books. It does *not* mean that no one else can ever use the term 'super-hero'.

DC & Marvel are required by law to defend their trademark in order to keep it, and that is what they did in this instance.

If you're going to publish your own comic book series, it would be prudent to do a trademark search before choosing a title.

If you would like to know more about trademark law, Nolo's Website has a good introduction.

I really hope that this will be the last time this goes around, but I suspect it won't be.

(Dislaimer: I am not a lawyer; I am a librarian at a US Patent & Trademark Depository Library. My comments are my own and do not necessarily represent the view of my employer.)

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Today we feature the 1957 cover to Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #24, drawn by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye. Wouldn't it have been cool if Jimmy Olsen stayed as a gorilla, then became Elastic Lad, and he'd be an Elastic Gorilla? Just me, huh?

(Standard disclaimer about gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)

Friday, March 17, 2006

What kind of comics anthology would you create to attract a newsstand audience?

Archie have their digests, Disney & Nickelodian have occasional comics-only issues of their magazines, and Viz have done very well with their Shonen Jump & Shojo Beat anthologies. But still there is not much of an effort by comics publishers to target the newsstand--and by extension non-regular comics readers--with a thick value-priced anthology.

My recommendation would be for DC to put together an anthology for kids. They have a lot of reprint material to draw on from the past 10-15 years: Scooby-Doo, Bugs Bunny, Cartoon Network, and the animated Batman/Superman/Justice League. Add into that classic Sugar & Spike comics and they could easily put together a 128-page color monthly anthology in the $5-$6 range I should think.

Concluding my look through the March Previews (for items supposedly shipping in May), here are a dozen collections and graphic novels that I feel are worth your attention:

Skrull Kill Crew(Marvel, $16.99, p. M105)Grant Morrison reunites with Aztek parter Mark Millar and Zenith artist Steve Yeowell for a story that takes a throw-away event from an old Fantastic Four comic and runs with it to its madcap violent conclusion.

I've been waiting for this OGN to hit for what seems like forever. Mark Twain & Nikola Tesla team up to bring about world peace, but standing in their way is Thomas Edison and an evil science cabal. Pure steampunk joy.

Tezuka's Buddha vol. 1(Del Rey, $14.95, p. 262)

Osamu Tezuka's masterpiece is now available in an affordable trade paperback, so now you have no excuse for not picking it up.

Yes $30 may seem like a bit much, but it's really a bargain for a hefty hardcover collection of Linda Medley's charming medieval fantasy. If you only buy one graphic novel this month, make it this one.

Alan Moore: The Complete Future Shocks(Rebellion, $21.99, p. 315)

These stories from 2000 AD will give you a good look at the early work of a writer who would go on to become one of comics' top talents. Nothing deep here, but a good deal of fun.

I enjoyeed the first issue and decided to wait for the trade, which is now here. Yay!

Phoenix vol. 7: Civil War(Viz, $15.99, p. 358)

Anytime there's a new English edition of Tezuka's work, you should make a grab for it. Each volume in this, his magnum opus, is self-contained, so you don't need to worry about coming in on part 7--just dive right in!

That concludes Dave's Dozen for this month (previously I covered mainstream comics and indy comics). Come back next month for 36 (or so) picks.

This is yet another of those 'what happened after Alice in Wonderland' stories, but since this grows out of Slave Labor's odd Disney license it is based on the Disney version, not the original. Also, it has art by Sonny Liew, which makes it worth picking up right there.

Celebrating 15 years of Gold Digger with a special 75th issue--which is actually #129 if you count all three series, making it the longest currently-running creator-owned & operated comic. There's actually lots of Gold Digger this month, with a new mini-series, Throne of Shadows; a new Pocket Manga collection; a Swimsuit Special; and, if you want to catch up on everything Gold Digger, a 2-disc DVD-ROM set that contains every single Fred Perry-produced Gold Digger story to date.

Man, but wasn't the first issue the bomb? Best thing that Brian Wood has written, I think. And the art by Kristian Donaldson was supper spiffy and well-served by the high production values. Worth the $4, I should think.

Guy comes back from a trip to the Bermuda Triangle to a worls that is subtlely different from the one he left. I really like these sorts of stories, so here's hoping that Neal Shaffer & Joe Infurnari do a good job.

Brit Carl Critchlow's barbarian spoof comes to the new world. Think Groo by way of Keith Giffen (in his Trencher days) and you'll get an idea of what this is like.

That wraps up my look at indy comics. (Sorry it took so long, but work and life have been kicking my ass these past couple of weeks.) A few days ago I highlighted mainstream comics, and in a few days I'll put up my Collections/GNs picks.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:

The Pick of the Week is Puffin's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula by Gary Reed and Becky Cloonan, in a kid-friendly manga-sized black & white volume.

In other comics:

Antarctic have a new issue of Ninja High School (#136), the Oz the Manga Epilogue, and the 7th Gold Digger Pocket Manga volume.

Archie have the latest issue of Sabrina (#74).

Boom! have the second issue of Planetary Brigade.

Dark Horse have the 9th Samurai Executioner volume, collections of Chronicle of Conan (vol. 10) and Concrete (vol. 4), the debut of Conan: Book of Thoth, and the latest issue of the regular Conan (#26).

DC make silver age Superman fans happy with Showcase Presents Superman Family & Superman: Daily Planet collections, along with the OYL Superman #650. The rest of y'all will just have to make do with new issues of 100 Bullets (#70), DMZ (#5), JLA Classified (#18), Majestic (#15), Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer (#4), Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2006; and the OYL titles Birds of Prey (#92) & Green Arrow (#60).

DR Masters have the 17th(!) volume of Iron Wok Jan.

IDW have the penultimate issue of Angel: Old Friends (#4) and the debut issue of Spike vs. Dracula.

Image have new issues of Beyond Avalon (#3), Girls (#11), and The Walking Dead (#26).

Marvel have a collection of the better-than-you-thought-it-would-be Drax the Destroyer: Earth Fall; an Essential Godzilla collection; and new issues of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (#6), Fury: Peacemaker (#2), and Runaways (#14).

Friday, March 10, 2006

Chaotic Resolve, the new album by Plumb. Plumb is basically singer/songwriter Tiffany Arbuckle and whomever she gets to play along with her ona particular album. It's 'inspirational' music (i.e. Christian) for folks who don't normally like inspirational music. Nearly on par with her excellent 1999 album candycoatedwaterdrops.

Todd Snider's East Nashville Skyline actualyl came out back in 2004, but I somehow missed it; because, well, I'm an idiot I guess. Anyway, it is easily his best studio album, stripped down and reminiscent of his live shows. Funny, poingant, and clever. (His best album is, of course, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms Live, which combines two of his live performances, one of which I was at.)

Neko Case's new album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, is alas her weakest album to date. She's found a sound, and she's sticking to it, god bless her. But it makes for an album that isn't bad, but just too much of the same sound, and there isn't a track that grabs the listener. For a much better Neko Case experience, seek out her live album, The Tigers Have Spoken.

Completely unrelated, but still music-related: in my dream last night, a room full of people suddenly burst out into song, singing "Sing"; amazingly, everybody in my dream knew the lyrics. And when I woke up I went online to check the lyrics, and lo and behold I rememebred them correctly in my dream. It's this kind of stuff that's taking up space in my brain (along with things like how each color of Kryptonite affected pre-Crisis Superman...) that keeps me from remembring to do important stuff...

Not too long ago, I stumbled across a nifty Website that was basically an index for nearly all comic trade collections; it told which collections were availble for which titles, and which issues those collections contained.

Alas, I seem to have neglected to bookmark the site, and my librarian super-powers are failing me in finding it again.

Does anyone know which site this is, and what its URL is?

Update: Never mind, I found it; it's at http://tplist.millarworld.net/index.html. (And reader/commenter Canton found it under an alternate URL.) I'll stick it in my del.icio.us links so I'll never lose it again!

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Let's get one thing out of the way: This is the fifth volume in Fantagraphics' Ignatz line and, as such, it's printed oversized with two-color ink and on high quality paper, with a dust jacket no less. Yes, it's nearly $8, but it's an excellent package and well worth the cost--provided you like the material.

So, is the material any good? Yes, it is indeed. Huizenga gives us several short stories illustrating his oft-used protagonist Glenn Ganges and his internal life. If you've enjoyed Huizenga's other Glenn Ganges stories, you'll find much to admire here.

I tend to enjoy novel uses of structure and storytelling in my comics, and at this point in my comic-reading experience I appreciate coming across a comic that plays with the form in new and intersting ways. Huizenga is becoming a master and playing with conventions and using the comics page to explore the relationships between objects, space, time, and thought.

Take for instance the first story, "Time Traveling." It's a quick five-pager that finds Glenn walking to the library on a Saturday afternoon, feeling a sense of deja vu, and pondering the existance of parallel universes. Not a very exciting description perhaps, but Huizenga presents it in a novel way with a touch of humor.

Detractors may claim that the internal life of Ganges that Huizenga is presenting is not terribly original and, perhaps, a bit boring. That misses the point, I think. Glenn Ganges' thoughts and ruminations are of the same kind that most of us have. It is in exploring the common through novel illustration and storytelling that Huizenga's work is strengthened.

As a reader, experiencing these stories illustrates the reach of possibilities of the comics form. The stories that Huizenga tells here are not only effective as comics, but are more effective because they are comics.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:

There are many good books coming out this week, but for The Pick of the Week I'm going with Jessica Abel's La Perdida collection from Pantheon. I've read the first two (of 5) issues that are included here, and it's very good, presuming you like the slice-of-life/fish-out-of-water angsty indy comics stuff.

In other comics:

Brian Fies's Eisner-winning Mom's Cancer is just now being solicited in the current Previews, yet apparently is shipping this week? Very odd...

Dark Horse solicited Dare Detectives, vol. 2: The Royale Treatment over a year ago, and now it's finally showing up in stores.

DC have a Birds of Prey collection: Between Dark and Dawn; two Seven Soldiers issues: Frankenstein #4 & Mister Miracle #4; the last issue of Alan Moore's Tom Strong (#36); a couple of OYL titles: Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #23 & Teen Titans #33; and new issues of The Exterminators (#3) and Fables (#47).

IDW have a new issue of Maze Agency (#3).

Illusive Arts havea new issue of Dorothy #5).

Image have adouble dose of Ellis with the fourth issues of both Dawn & Fell; the Socom: Seal Team Seven OGN; the first Rocketo collection (with two issues that apparently will never be published); and new issues of Bomb Queen (#2) & Invincible (#29).

Marvel debut the Fantastic Four: First Family mini; celebrate the 100th issue of Thunderbolts; and have new issues of Powers (#17), The Pulse (#14), and Ultimate Spider-Man (#91).

Moonstone have the Cyclone Bill and the Tall Tales OGN.

TokyoPop have the first volume of Ross Campbell's OEL manga The Abandoned.

Viz have a ton of stuff too (some of which may have reached your store last week...)

You could easily spend of ton of money this week, so good luck with your choosing!

Monday, March 06, 2006

So... The Oscar telecast wasn't so bad. Jon Stewart didn't bomb outright, and there were a few good bits--I especially like the fake campaign ads--though Stewart was much finnier when he was speaking off-the-cuff than when he was going through the prepared material. Starting the telecast half an hour earlier was a good move--I actually got home before midnight! Too many darn montages though, with no rhyme nor reason for why they were there (or sometimes which movies were included!)

AS far as my picks go, I had 99 points on the Joe Janes Oscar Scoring System*, which wasn't very good, but was enough to tie me for second place at the party. I was 15 for 24 overall, so let's take a look at where I went wrong (based on my picks which I posted yesterday):

PictureEverybody at the party chose Brokeback Mountain, so it didn't affect my standings, but really I should have seen this one coming. It used to be that Best Picture/Best Director never split, but ever since the Shakespeare in Love/Saving Private Ryan debacle they've done it more often than not, especialyl where there are two movies going neck and neck. But after Crash picked up the Best Original Screenplay consolation prize I figured that Brokeback had this locked up, forgetting that Brokeback took home the other screenplay award.

Supporting ActressI was counting on the Academy to not go for the obvious and opt for Amy Adams, but they did and went with Rachel Weisz.

Original SongOkay, the only thing I can think of is that the Academy voters thought it would be funny for Jon Stewart to have "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (and to his credit, Stewart took the gag and ran with it). This truly was the biggest surprise of the night.

Live Action Short FilmMaybe had I gotten around to watching these on iTunes I would have known better. But at best this is a crapshoot every year, and this year was no different.

Animated ShortIs this the start of a Pixar backlash?

Sound MixingThis is the other category that surprised me, but I guess the Academy went for King Kong--because if there's one thing that movie did have, it was sound. Lots of it too, all mixed together.

CinematographyI shouldn't have gone for a dark horse pick, I guess. Plus, I in no way saw coming a Memoirs of a Geisha run at the tech awards.

Documentary ShortSee Live Action Short.

Costume DesignSee Cinematography. I was right about a period piece winning, I just chose the wrong period piece.

So I don't think I did half bad, but it could have been better. I'll have to wait a whole year to reclaim the travelling Oscar trophy back from Patricia!

Sunday, March 05, 2006

I know you're all just dying to know who I'm picking for winners in tonight's Oscar race, right? Okay, maybe not. But still, I usually finish first or second in our annual picks contest that's been going on for 10+ years now, so even though I haven't seen most of the nominated movies (Oscar and I disagree on what makes for an essential theater-going flick), if you have a contest of your own to participate in, I offer these up as choices:

PictureBrokeback Mountain, because nothing can stop the momentum of the only one of the nominees this year that has entered popular consciousness (even if few people actually saw it).

DirectorAng Lee, Brokeback Mountain. See above.

ActorA rather weak slate this year, so I'll go with Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote.

ActressEveryone says it's going to be Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line, and who am I to argue?

Supporting ActorGeorge Clooney in Syriana, because they'll want to reward him for something.

Supporting ActressConventional wisdom says that this is Rachel Weisz's, but this is the one category that typically goes against expectations, so I'm picking Amy Adams in Junebug.

Visual EffectsKing Kong. It has a giant monkey fighting dinosaurs, and how can anyone resist that?

Original ScreenplayAka the consolation prize, so it'll go to Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco for Crash.

MakeupThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, mainly because Cinderella Man and Stars Wars Episode III are fit for an Oscar snub this year.

Art DirectionJohn Myhre & Gretchen Rau for Memoirs of a Geisha, because it's the kind of movie that usally wins this category.

Original ScoreA tough one, actually, so I'll go with the mo' and pick Gustavo Santaolalla for Brokeback Mountain; even though he only wrote about 13 minutes of score music for the movie, it's the only one of the nominated scores where when you hear a few bars you instantly know what movie it's from. Plus the voters will want to reward Santaolalla for having been robbed of a best song nod due to an unfair rules ruling. Plus, the Academy has been snubbing John Williams for many years now.

Oringial Song"Travelin' Thru" from Transamerica, because the voters like Dolly Parton.

Live Action Short FilmI meant to watch a few of these through iTunes, but never got around to it this week. So I'll pick Ausreisser (The Runaway), for no good reason other than it's a gut pick.

Animate ShortPixar's One Man Band, because they're Pixar.

Animated FeatureActually three strong nominees this year, but I'll go with Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Sound EditingKing Kong. Because if there's one thing this movie had, it was sound, and lots of it.

Sound MixingWalk the Line, because this category usually goes to musical bio-pics.

CinematographyI'm going for the dark horse pick here: Emmanuel Lubezki for The New World.

Foreign Language FilmTsotsi from South Africa has gotten the most ink, so since hardly anyone actually goes to see these it'll probably take the statue.

Documentary FeatureConventional wisdom is to not go with any film that anyone has actually heard of in this category, but I think the trend will be bucked this year and March of the Penguins with waddle away with the golden statue.

Documentary ShortGod Sleeps in Rwanda sounds like the title of a film that typically wins this category.

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

In honor of the Academy Awards ceremony this evening, here's the cover to 1991's King Kong #3, featuring the big ape himself putting the smackdown on a dinosaur. (Peter Jackson's King Kong remake has four nominations this year.)

(Standard disclaimer about giant apes not really being monkeys applies.)

Friday, March 03, 2006

ITEM! Cartoonist Jules Feiffer was on the Diane Rehm show on Tuesday morning. He's mostly there to discuss his new kids book, A Room with a Zoo, but he also spends some time talking about his early days as a cartoonist. (Real Audio & Windows Media mormats)

ITEM! The Comic Book Network is holding a V for Vendetta Trivia Contest, where you can win some swag from the upcoming movie by answering a few Alan Moore-related trivia questions.

ITEM!Jessica Abel has revised her Website, and it's worth taking a look. I especially like the illustrations in her gallery that she's done for YM (via Tom)

ITEM!Catherine Leamy, who is fast becoming one of my favorite mini-comics creators, is featuring all through the month of March brand new one-page Invitation to Madness cartoons on her blog. The first one went up on Thursday.

ITEM! Pal Jim Ottaviani is interviewed about Bone Sharps and his other science comics over at Newsarama.

Marvel's all-ages line expands with an Avengers title from writer Jeff (Interman) Parker, who has quietly been making MA Fantastic Four the FF title to read over the past few months. Sure, the team's line-up (Storm, Wolverine, Giant-Girl, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America) doesn't resemble and 'real' Avengers team, but will that really matter as long as the stories are entertaining?

The first issue came out of nowhere to be one of the most entertaining super-hero comics of the young year. Okay, not exactly from nowhere, but it's been a long long time since Ellis's Marvel work was this enjoyable. Issue #5 kicks off a new storyline, which makes it a perfect place to jump on if you haven't already.

Will Pfeifer & Cliff Chiang bring the Spectre to a new host, one who is closer to the character's roots: the late Detective Crispus Allen from Gotham Central. Hopefully we'll get a good deal of down-to-earth detecting along with the supernatural action. Plus, any comic that gives me Cliff Chiang's art is worthy--hopefulyl this will sell well enough to become a regular series.

They went in with six? What were they thinking?! You always go in with seven, or possibly five, but never six! Gail Simone returns to the mileau of her successful Villains United series with more tales of villains caught between a rock and a hard place.